Special Exception - 1939 Charles St.- Passed 04-12-10

Home Browse Search

Our request is for a special exception to allow parking in a SF-1 District is to meet the growing needs of our company and to be able to provide a safe, controlled parking area for our employees. In 2007 a special exception was granted for a parking lot at 1939 Charles Street, Lot 20. Currently we have arranged for additional off-site parking spaces reserved for our employees behind the Goodwill Store on South Bend Avenue to accommodate our growing need. This unfortunately creates an unsafe condition when employees must cross the 5 lanes of traffic on South Bend Avenue/St. Rd. 23 to get to work. Our request is to expand the existing employee parking lot onto the adjacent Lot 21 to provide an additional 27 parking spaces. Comments and concerns from the neighbors were addressed in the 2007 special exception. All of these previous concerns will also be covered in the proposed parking expansion with the continuation of fencing and landscaping to match the existing parking lot. • Expansion of existing employee parking lot at 1939 Charles Street, Lot 21. • No driveway onto Charles Street • Fencing and landscape plantings to continue around the proposed parking expansion to match existing parking lot. • Eliminate or minimize the need for off-site parking lot usage. • Storm drainage controls will be in accordance to City of South Bend requirements. The special exception approval will maintain the SF-1 Single Family zoning and will only allow for the property to be developed for parking. No other uses will be allowed, which will help preserve the single family zoning of the neighborhood. The petitioner listened to the concerns of the neighbors regarding noise, loitering and truck traffic on their streets and have addressed these issues in the 2007 special exception for employee parking and will continue to work with neighbors on any concerns or questions. Office policy manual prohibits on-site loitering by employees and the proposed parking lot being adjacent to the existing building will allow management better control to keep parking areas clean of trash, reduce noise and eliminate unnecessary loitering. Since 2003 Wissco has informed all delivery companies delivering to this location not to utilize the residential streets and have posted and enforced that no Wissco truck traffic is to use these streets and it was acknowledged by the neighbors that has been satisfactory to them. Wissco Irrigation has maintained the property and parking at 1939 Charles Street including renovation of the house. It has been acknowledged by the neighbors that Wissco Irrigation fulfilled their promise to develop and maintain the parking lot developed as promised and are satisfied with the results. We have continued to address any concerns of the neighbors and at the same time attempting to be responsible in providing a safe and attractive parking area for our employees. We appreciate your review and ask for approval on our request for a special exception to allow us to expand our current employee parking lot.